Adam Crosson (MFA candidate in Studio Art), Jonas Hart (MFA in Studio Art, 2014), and James Scheuren (MFA in Studio Art, 2014) present On Plasticity: Poetics of the Built at Lawndale Art Center in Houston, Texas. The exhibition will be on display March 13 – April 18, 2015.

FIC is an expletive. No, it is meant to sound like an expletive but is actually an artist collective comprised of Madison Ann Brill, Erin Miller, Sarah Ott, and Juliana Ramirez.

“Our name relates to our mission,” said Brill. “It addresses the innate desire we have to derive meaning from the surface of things rather than looking deeper.”

The collective was founded by Brill, Miller, and Ott, all Studio Art students at UT Austin, who shortly thereafter invited Ramirez, a photography student at St. Edward’s University, to join.

“Lots of art students become consumed by assignments related to school and forget the importance of artistic discussion and work beyond our classes,” observed Ramirez. “We live in an age when a lot of artists have to make opportunities for themselves.”

“FIC is a way for us to create those opportunities and hold each other accountable,” said Sarah Ott. “We encourage each other to progress as artists and are cultivating a community of socially conscious female artists.”

Once the four formally established FIC, they began thinking about showing their work as a collective.

Image courtesy of FIC.

Mom Gallery was soon born and utilizes the living room of their house for exhibition space. The moniker comes from a nickname the four jokingly use for each other.

“There is some truth to it though. In a way, we are all moms. We take care of one another,” explained Brill.

Working at museums and galleries like Co-Lab Projects, Mexic-Arte Museum, The Contemporary Austin, and Women and Their Work also contributed to their sense of community and furthered their ambitions for collaboration.

FIC will soon organize a group exhibition with Eyesplice collective, one of whose members, Megan Hilderbrandt, teaches Studio Art courses in the department.

“The professors I’ve had in the program have been very helpful and encouraging, and my group of friends is very ambitious and inspiring,” said Miller. “Austin is especially influential because of its unique art scene. There is so much support and a real sense of community. We gain really great experience in Austin at the undergraduate level.”